Harsh Vardhan (Delhi politician)
Dr. Harsh Vardhan डॉ. हर्ष वर्धन | |
---|---|
Minister of Science and Technology | |
Assumed office 9 November 2014 | |
Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
Preceded by | Dr. Jitendra Singh |
Minister of Earth Sciences | |
Assumed office 9 November 2014 | |
Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
Preceded by | Dr. Jitendra Singh |
Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change | |
Assumed office 27 May 2017 | |
Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
Preceded by | Anil Madhav Dave |
Minister of Health and Family Welfare | |
In office 26 May 2014 – 9 November 2014 | |
Preceded by | Ghulam Nabi Azad |
Succeeded by | Jagat Prakash Nadda |
Member of the Indian Parliament for Chandni Chowk | |
Assumed office 16 May 2014 | |
Preceded by | Kapil Sibal |
Majority | 1,36,320 (13.88%) |
Member of the Delhi Legislative Assembly for Krishna Nagar | |
In office 1993 – 16 May 2014 | |
Preceded by | Constituency established |
Succeeded by | S. K. Bagga |
Personal details | |
Born |
Delhi, India | 13 December 1954
Nationality | Indian |
Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
Spouse(s) | Nutan |
Children | 3 |
Residence | New Delhi |
Alma mater | Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur |
Profession | Otolaryngologist, politician |
Website | Harsh Vardhan Official Website |
Dr. Harsh Vardhan is the incumbent minister at Ministry of Science & Technology (India), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Ministry of Earth Sciences in the BJP-led NDA government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He represents Chandni Chowk in Delhi as a Member of Parliament in the 16th Lok Sabha. He was also the Chief Minister candidate for the BJP in the 2013 Delhi assembly election.
Early life
Harsh Vardhan was born in Delhi to Om Prakash Goel and Sneh Lata.[1] Vardhan finished his schooling from Anglo Sanskrit Victoria Jubilee Senior Secondary School, Daryaganj, in 1971. He attended Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur, where he graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery. He earned his Master of Surgery in Otorhinolaryngology from the same college in 1983.[2][3] Dr. Harsh Vardhan has been a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since childhood.[4]
Political career
In 1993, he was elected as a member of the Delhi Assembly representing Krishna Nagar.[5] He was appointed as the State Minister of Health and Minister of Law for Delhi.[6] He later became the state Minister of Education in 1996.[7] Dr. Vardhan has been re-elected from the same constituency in the 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013 elections.[8][9][10][11]
State Minister of Health
Dr. Vardhan as the State Minister of Health in 1994 oversaw the successful implementation of the pilot project of the Pulse Polio Programme which involved the mass immunisation of 1 million children up to the age of 3 in Delhi.[12] In 1995, this programme was launched nationwide leading to 88 million children being immunised.[13] On 28 March 2014, India was declared polio-free by the WHO, as there had been no reported cases for three years.[14]
In 1997, the Delhi Prohibition of Smoking and Non-Smokers Health Protection Act was passed in the Delhi assembly which was one of the first anti-tobacco laws implemented by any state government.[15] The act applied across the NCT of Delhi. It prohibited smoking in places of public work or use for example hospitals, restaurants and educational institutions and in public service vehicles. It also prohibited the sale of smoking substances such as tobacco and beedis to anyone below the age of eighteen. Smoking products could not also be sold or stored within 100 metres of any educational institution. Under the provisions of the act, fines would be applied to anyone who contravened the law and they could potentially be ejected from places of public use by the police.[16]
2013 Delhi Assembly elections
On 23 October 2013, Dr. Vardhan was named the Chief Minister candidate for Delhi Assembly elections by the BJP.[17] After the 2013 elections, BJP emerged as the single largest party winning 31 out of the 70 seats in the Fifth Legislative Assembly of Delhi. However, they fell short of an absolute majority so were unable to form the government.[18]
2014 Lok Sabha election
Vardhan contested the Chandni Chowk seat in Delhi where he defeated the incumbent Union Cabinet Minister of Law and Justice, Kapil Sibal of the Indian National Congress.[19] He was also appointed in the Cabinet of India as Minister of Health and Family Welfare on 26 May 2014.[20][21] In May 2017, he was given the additional charge of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change following the death of Minister Anil Madhav Dave.[22]
Awards and honours
Dr. Harsh Vardhan has received the following awards and recognitions:[23]
- IMA President's Special Award of Appreciation by the Indian Medical Association in 1994.
- Director-General's Polio Eradication Champion Award Commendation Medal by the World Health Organization in 1998.
- Polio Eradication Champion Award by the Rotary International in 2001.
- "Doctor of the last Decade" (Swastha Ratna) by Indian Medical Association's New Delhi branch in 2002.
Personal life
Harsh Vardhan is married to Nutan, and together they have two sons and a daughter.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ "List of Members – Dr. Harsh Vardhan". Delhiassembly.nic.in. Legislative Assembly of Delhi. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- ↑ "A profile of BJP leader Harsh Vardhan". Hindustan Times. 20 October 2013. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015.
- ↑ "Dr. Harsh Vardhan – Affidavit Regarding Assets/Liabilities". Election Commission of India. p. 7. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- 1 2 "About me – Profile". Drharshvardhan.com. Archived from the original on 4 September 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ↑ 1993 Election Commission of India
- ↑ "Dr. Harsh Vardhan Biography". elections.in. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
- ↑ "Harshvardhan is new Delhi BJP president". The Times of India. 19 February 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
- ↑ 1998 Election Commission of India
- ↑ 2003 Election Commission of India
- ↑ 2008 Election Commission of India
- ↑ "Page Not Found".
- ↑ T Jacob-John; VM Vashishta (May 2013). "Eradicating poliomyelitis: India's journey from hyperendemic to polio-free status". Indian Journal of Medical Research. 137 (5): 881–94. PMC 3734678 . PMID 23760372.
- ↑ "From 200,000 to zero: the journey to a polio free India" (PDF). UNICEF. 22 February 2012. p. 8. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
- ↑ "India and 10 other Asian countries declared polio free". The Guardian. 28 March 2014.
- ↑ "Smoking fine may go up in Delhi". The Times of India. 11 January 2008.
- ↑ "The Delhi Prohibition of Smoking and Non-Smokers Health Protection Act, 1996" (.doc). Indian Railways. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- ↑ "BJP trusts Dr Harsh Vardhan as its chief ministerial candidate for Delhi". The Economic Times. 23 October 2013.
- ↑ "BJP rejects offer to form govt". The Tribune. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ↑ "Constituencywise-All Candidates". Election Commission of India.
- ↑ "Modi's complete cabinet: Jaitley gets Finance, Smriti Human Resources". Firstpost. 27 May 2014.
- ↑ Live, India (26 May 2014). "PM Modi announces list of cabinet ministers with portfolios". IndiaLive.today.
- ↑ "Harsh Vardhan gets additional charge of Environment Ministry". The Hindu Business Line. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- ↑ "The Biography of Dr Harsh Vardhan, BJP's CM Candidate for Delhi". Bihar Prabha. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
Lok Sabha | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Kapil Sibal |
Member of Parliament for Chandni Chowk 2014 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by Ghulam Nabi Azad |
Minister of Health and Family Welfare 26 May 2014 – 9 November 2014 |
Succeeded by Jagat Prakash Nadda |
Preceded by Jitendra Singh |
Minister of Science and Technology 9 November 2014 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
Preceded by Anil Madhav Dave |
Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change 18 May 2017 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |